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Chapter 24 - New Year Eve-II

Amara's POV:

I tossed my overnight bag onto the couch. "It's going to be a four-day trip," I told Jia, filling her in on the New Year's plan to India.

She grinned, voice dripping with mischief. "Already meeting the family members, huh?"

I rolled my eyes but couldn't hide the tiny smile tugging at my lips. "It's not like that. It's just…a family get-together. And he really wants me to meet his grandparents."

"Uh-huh. Totally casual," Jia said, leaning against the doorframe. "Do I need to start picking out a wedding hashtag?"

"Stop," I laughed, tossing a cushion at her. "It's not a big deal."

She caught the cushion effortlessly. "Ama, it's a huge deal. Meeting grandparents? That's like level-three relationship territory."

My stomach fluttered—half excitement, half panic. "It's just four days," I repeated, mostly to convince myself. "It'll be fun."

Jia's expression softened. "It will. You like him. He clearly adores you. Just…let yourself enjoy it."

I nodded, fiddling with the zipper of my travel bag. "Yeah. I guess I am excited. Rajasthan at New Year's sounds beautiful."

"Exactly." She grinned. "Now go double-check your passport before Mr. Perfect gets here."

I was halfway through re-braiding my hair when the familiar low hum of Vihaan's car engine rolled up the driveway. My heart did a small, traitorous flip.

Jia peeked through the curtain and gave a dramatic whisper-shout, "Your ride's here, princess."

I grabbed my coat, trying—and failing—to hide the grin spreading across my face as I stepped outside to meet him.

The evening air carried that crisp winter bite as I stepped outside. Vihaan leaned against the hood of his car, one hand shoved in his coat pocket, the other holding his phone. Streetlight glow caught the edges of his hair, making him look like he belonged to some effortlessly cool movie scene. Why do I always fall for him every time I see him?

"Ready for four days of family chaos?" he called, slipping the phone away when he saw me.

"Define ready," I teased, while he took the bag from me.

He grinned, coming around to open the passenger door for me. "Passport? Boarding pass? Secret stash of snacks for the long flight?"

"Check, check, and obviously check." I slid in, the familiar leather scent of his car wrapping around me like a welcome blanket.

He closed the door gently and walked around to the driver's side. "Jia give you the third degree?" he asked as he started the engine.

I laughed. "She's convinced this is some kind of…relationship milestone."

He raised an eyebrow, glancing at me as the car rolled onto the quiet street. "And what do you think?"

I pretended to study the lights outside the window, my cheeks warming. "I think it's…nice. That you want me to meet them."

His voice softened. "I do. They'll love you."

Something about the certainty in his tone made my chest feel both fluttery and grounded all at once.

"Pressure much?" I said, trying for sarcasm.

"Zero pressure," he replied, eyes still on the road but a small smile curving his lips. "Just…be you. That's the part they'll love."

The city lights blurred into the distance as we headed toward the airport, a quiet hum of excitement settling between us, warm and certain.

Soon, we were onboarded and the flight took off. He still has his case reports with him.

"You can't live without them?" I asked him, a bit annoyed.

"Then why did you take me with you, if this is what you will do all the time?" I was still on my way to complain when he suddenly showed me the papers. And they were papers of

…a boarding pass, folded around a slim envelope.

I blinked. "What's this?"

He grinned, eyes glinting with mischief. "Not case reports. Open it."

I slid the paper free and found a small postcard tucked inside. On the front was a watercolor of a sun-drenched desert fort, its golden walls glowing like a dream. On the back, in Vihaan's tidy handwriting, were just four words: First trip together, Ama.

My breath caught. "You made this?"

"Had it printed last week," he said, pretending to study the in-flight menu. "Thought it might distract you from the fact that I'm terrible at small talk on long flights."

I shook my head, fighting a smile. "You had me thinking you were buried in legal briefs, counselor."

He leaned closer, lowering his voice so only I could hear over the gentle hum of the engines. "You looked cute when you were annoyed."

"Flattery won't save you," I said, but I could feel the corners of my mouth betraying me.

"Maybe not," he whispered, eyes warm, "but it might make the flight more fun."

I tucked the postcard back into its envelope, holding it carefully like it might float away. The steady thrum of the plane and the faint scent of coffee in the cabin felt suddenly softer, like the start of something we hadn't even named yet.

"You know," I said finally, tilting my head toward him, "if this is how you 'work' on flights, I guess I can live with it."

His answering smile was quiet, certain. "Good. Because I plan on keeping you distracted for the next four hours."

"I know how to do small talk," I said while leaning closer to him.

"And how?" he asked, almost flustered.

"I will ask a question, and if the answer is different from what I thought, then you will do the same," I explained, and he nodded in agreement.

"Okay, when we met first?" I asked him the most basic question.

"Umm, I can't say that it was a 'WE' moment, but I saw you first at your favourite cafe, you were with Jia," he answered.

"Really, it wasn't in your office, waiting area?" I said Surprisingly.

I tilted my head, intrigued. "Wait—you noticed me at the café before the office? And you never said anything?"

He gave a small, guilty smile. "I wasn't exactly in the habit of walking up to strangers and announcing, Hi, future client-slash-heartbreaker."

I laughed, the sound muffled by the low hum of the cabin. "Heartbreaker, huh? That's dramatic."

"Just accurate," he countered smoothly.

I narrowed my eyes. "Fine. Your turn."

He leaned closer, a sly curve to his mouth. "Biggest lie you've ever told me?"

"That I wasn't nervous when you first drove me home," I shot back without missing a beat.

His brows lifted. "You were nervous?"

"You drive like a man auditioning for a car-chase movie," I said, smirking.

He chuckled low. "Fair. Okay…next: the first thought you had the moment I kissed your forehead?"

Heat crawled up my neck. "That's cheating."

"Answer," he insisted, voice softer now.

I twisted a strand of hair. "Fine. I thought…finally."

For a heartbeat, the airplane's hum was the only sound. His eyes glinted like he'd just won something.

"My turn," I said quickly, needing to regain ground. "What's the most distracting thing about me?"

He tilted his head, pretending to ponder. "The way you bite your lip when you're trying not to smile. Like right now."

I immediately stopped biting my lip. "That's not fair."

"All's fair," he murmured.

"Alright," I said, leaning in, "last one—what's one thing you haven't told me yet… but want to?"

He held my gaze, the corner of his mouth lifting just slightly. "That this trip isn't just to meet my grandparents.It's also so I can spend four straight days making you laugh."

I blinked, caught between a grin and something that felt deeper. "That's… ambitious."

"And worth every mile," he said, letting the words hang there until even the steady drone of the engines seemed to fade.

And just like that, after a blur of teasing questions and too many quiet smiles, we reached our beautiful destination—Jaipur, Rajasthan. The plane dipped through a quilt of soft orange clouds, and the view below looked like something out of a storybook: palaces the color of honey, streets twisting like painted ribbons, the late-afternoon sun gilding everything in warm gold.

Vihaan glanced out the window and then at me, as if checking whether the city's first impression was passing my inspection."Not bad, huh?" he said, a hint of pride hiding beneath his calm tone.

"Not bad?" I pressed my nose to the glass. "It's stunning. Like someone spilled sunset across the whole city."

He smiled at that, a quiet, private kind of smile that made my chest tighten. "Wait until you see it up close."

The airport air carried a soft chill mixed with a faint scent of marigolds and spices. Outside, a driver held a placard with Vihaan's name in bold letters. Beyond him, the sky was turning a deeper rose, Jaipur's famous pink sandstone walls glowing like they'd caught fire.

As we climbed into the car, the city unfurled around us: bustling bazaars, fluttering strings of lights, and arches that looked like they'd been carved by a patient dreamer. I found myself leaning closer to the window again, completely taken.

Vihaan watched me for a moment before speaking."My grandparents' place is just outside the city center," he said. "Old courtyard house. You'll like it—it smells like cardamom and history."

I turned toward him, grinning. "You sound like a travel brochure."

"Only for you," he replied, eyes warm.

And somehow, in that golden twilight, with Jaipur's streets whispering stories and Vihaan's quiet voice beside me, the trip already felt like the beginning of something unforgettable.

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